Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Today was the day for Football and cross stitch. My Hunny B is a football fanatic and therefore, the TV on Sunday is dedicated to the pigskin. I spent the day stitching up my 3rd Heart (actually #2 in the series) Pennsylvania.

A little about the Great State of Pennsylvania as described on the Victoria Stitch chart.Pennsylvania was the second state ratified by the Federal Constitution on December 12th, 1787. Its nickname is "Keystone State" and its motto is Virtue, Liberty and Independence. The Mountain Laurel was designated as state flower in 1907, after over 3,000 women signed a petition endorsing it.The Liberty Bell, a symbol of freedom and independence for all of the States hangs in Philidelphia. In the stitched piece there are two keystone shapes which refer to the nickname which was adopted to show the "key" position of Pennsylvania in the economic, social and political development of the US. The featured Victoria Stitch represents the wide variety of trees in the woodlands which cover at least half of the state. At the bottom of the heart are symbols reminiscent of the Pennsylvania Dutch Hex signs with which the Amish decorate their barns and homes for good luck and protection.

Another heart finish from Monday. This one is New Jersey, the 3rd state to ratify the Federal Constitution on December 18, 1787. Its nickname, “The Garden State” is represented on this heart by the flower garden stitched below the state name. The origin of this name can be traced back to Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Browning, who referred to New Jersey as a large barrel full of good things to eat and open on both ends, with both New York and Pennsylvania eating from its agricultural produce.

The purple Violet was designated as the state flower in 1913, although the sunflower received the most votes. The American Goldfinch is the state bird and the motto for the state is Liberty and Prosperity. The specialty stitch on this heart, the Cushion Stitch, represents the residential communities in this state.

I have just completed the 4th in the Victoria Sampler’s Hearts of America which is the State of Georgia. Georgia was the 4th colonial state to ratify the federal Constitution on December 7, 1787. The design features the Cherokee Rose or the White Chinese Rose, approved in 1916 as the official state flower. The plants are prolific and were originally brought to Georgia from China and sold to large homesteads and plantations in the 1800’s

The Georgia Peach symbolizes Georgia’s major agricultural industry: Peach growing as well as the State Nickname: The Peach State. The State Bird is the Brown Thrasher and the State Tree is the Live Oak. Under the peach you will find stitched in green Partial Rhodes Stitch which symbolizes the State’s many beautiful State parks, 77,500 acres of natural beauty from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Colonial Coast. The state motto is Wisdom, Justice and Moderation. The featured stitch for this piece is the “Ribbed Spider Web” in the band of Azaleas, Georgia’s State wild flower. The Georgia butterfly, a Tiger Swallowtail, is represented by the Rhodes Butterfly at the bottom of the heart.

Well, I finally got another VS Heart done today and it is Connecticut. Here is a little about Connecticut as stated on the chart.

Connecticut is the 5th State to ratify the federal Constitution on January 9th, 1788. The heart features a branch of the Mountain Laurel, designated as the State Flower in 1907. It is perhaps the most beautiful of American wild shrubs. The American Robin was the symbol of home for the early colonists, reminding them of their beloved English bird and their heritage. The specialty stitch is Woven Plated Surface, and it represents woven cloth, one of the mainstays of Colonial life in the 1700’s. Finally, the White Oak is symbolized by the golden acorn and the oak leaves at the bottom of the heart. The Nickname of Connecticut is “The Constitution State” and the motto is Oui Transtulit Sustinet .

Finished the Delaware heart (#1) today (Saturday-9/25). These little things are quick and fun to stitch. The specialty stitch for this heart was the "Arrowhead" Stitch.

From the Victoria Sample pattern, a little about Delaware.Delaware was the first colonial state to ratify the Federal Constitution on December 7, 1787. It's nicknames are "The Diamond State" and "The First State. Its Motto is Liberty and Independance. The Peach Blossom was designated as the state flower in 1895 when Delaware was known to have over 800,000 peach trees in her orchards. The Blue Hen chicken, the state bird, is a symbol of the valiant bravery of Delaware men in battle. The Arrowhead Stitch in blue, represents the Delaware River, a mainstay in the state's commerce and transportation. Finally, the Diamond Eye stitch at the bottom of the heart, denotes the nickname "Diamond State" which was, according to legend given to the state by Thomas Jefferson, because he descried Delaware due to its strategic location on the Eastern Seaboard.

Today I started yet another project. I bought the entire collection of the Victorian Sampler's - Hearts of America about 7 years ago. My intention was to stitch them (ha! all 50 of them) and make them into a patch work quilt. Well TODAY I finally pulled out one (the Tennessee one - since I live in Tennessee) and began stitching it. I think these will go fairly fast, as they are small. Each state features a Specialty Stitch...Tennessee's is the Chinese Rice Stitch. I spent about 5 hours stitching (along with doing loads of laundry between) and got the state flower done (the Iris). Here is a scan of my WIP on it. I think the flower turned our really pretty!.

I usually don't stitch kits as you can't always predict the floss quality, but I believe these have DMC cotton floss which is what I usually stitch with. The chart has the colors listed as DMC and it feels like DMC.